Many beverages like espresso and other coffee beverages, milk beverages, chocolate beverages, . . . are often prepared by mixing a soluble beverage powder or a liquid beverage concentrate with a diluent. Mixing devices are known for speedier preparation of such beverages by mixing the soluble beverage ingredient with the diluent, such as water. These devices typically comprise a mixing chamber in which the soluble component and the diluent are fed. The diluent can be introduced into the mixing chamber in order to create a whirlpool to efficiently dissolve the soluble component in the hot diluent. The hot diluent can also be introduced under the form of jets that provides mixing, dissolving and frothing. The mixture can also eventually be frothed by a whipper in a whipping chamber to reconstitute the beverage and produce foam. The beverage is then usually evacuated from the mixing chamber through the bottom of the mixing chamber and dispensed into a receptacle for drinking.
One dispenser can sometimes comprise different mixing devices each one being specifically designed for the mixing of a particular soluble beverage ingredient with the diluent. For example, a dispenser can comprise three mixing devices one devoted to coffee mixing, one to milk mixing and one to chocolate mixing. This separation is required for avoiding taste contamination of the mixing device and also because for each beverage ingredient a specific mixing device is usually associated, this specific mixing device enabling an optimized dissolution and eventually frothing of the specific beverage. For each mixing device the beverage is usually evacuated through a tube, generally a flexible tube, until a container like a cup.
The internal parts of the dispenser that are in contact with the diluted beverage ingredient must be regularly cleaned to avoid the growth of bacteria due to residues of beverages in the machine. The cleaning is also necessary because residues of powders can partially clog the outlet of the mixing chamber disturbing the correct dispensing of beverages. The cleaning usually concerns at least the dissolution chamber, the whipping chamber and the evacuation tubes. For cleaning operation, these parts must be dismantled, then cleaned and then reassembled. This operation takes time and it must done by people that have been trained for the disassembling and the reassembling to avoid errors and further failure in the beverages production. When the dispenser comprises several mixing devices and several evacuation tubes the disassembling and the reassembling becomes even more complicated and the cleaning step longer. Moreover the cleaning of flexible tubes must be realized with a bottle brush and is often difficult to do in an efficient manner. Usually this cleaning is made by an operator dedicated to the maintenance of the beverages production machines. But now there is need for decreasing the time for the cleaning operation to limit the period of time during which the dispenser is not operable. There is also a need to reduce the costs for cleaning operation and having this operation made by any non trained person so that it is not necessary to ask a specific operator to come and clean the machine. The cleaning should be made by any person briefly trained on the cleaning operations. The cleaning should be made by any person briefly trained on the cleaning operations. Presently the operator turnover in fast food restaurants is so high that new operators must be trained every week. Consequently there is a need for dispensers that can be easily cleaned and presenting such a structure that the operator is forced to clean all critical parts of the dispenser. This cleaning operation must also be so short that it can be made more often depending on the nature of the beverage ingredients.
One aim of the present invention is to solve these problems and to propose a beverage dispenser comprising at least one mixing assembly or other beverage processing means of which evacuation means can be easily, rapidly and efficiently dismantled and cleaned.
As mentioned herabove the mixing devices of the dispenser usually evacuate the beverages through a tube, generally a flexible tube, until a drinking cup. The flexible tube presents the interest of providing full air tightness between the mixing devices outlet until the point of delivery in the drinking cup. This air tightness is of paramount importance for retaining the foam quality of the beverage prepared in the mixing unit, particularly when the beverage is an espresso coffee. The coffee crema quality obtained at the outlet of the mixing device must be delivered in an intact way.
Consequently another aim of the present invention is also to propose a beverage dispenser comprising at least one mixing assembly of which evacuation means can be easily, rapidly and efficiently dismantled and cleaned and of which evacuation means are leakproof.
Another aim of the present invention is also to propose a beverage dispenser comprising several mixing assemblies and of which evacuation means is optimized in terms of spatial arrangement and cleaning.